Clean-shaven Roy Nelson not dwelling on the past after UFC 137 win

LAS VEGAS – Roy Nelson wore a fat suit to Friday’s UFC 137 weigh-ins because fans shouldn’t get to see half-naked people for free.

After a much-needed victory that sent MMA legend Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic into retirement, Nelson shaved his Grizzly Adams beard and trimmed a nest of hair so people like me would have something to write about.

In other words, Roy Nelson (16-6 MMA, 3-2 UFC) hasn’t changed a bit.

“The Ultimate Fighter 10″ winner, who had suffered back-to-back losses (and was one more away from receiving his UFC walking papers), staved off the termination with a third-round TKO victory over Filipovic (27-10-2 MMA, 4-6 UFC). The bout was part of the pay-per-view main card of UFC 137, which took place at Las Vegas’ Mandalay Bay Events Center.

After trimming down in recent months, the rotund king-fu fighter was noticeably more svelte ahead of UFC 137. But the progress – which UFC president Dana White and other officials have not-too-subtly championed for – was hidden most of fight week.

“I wasn’t really trying to keep it a secret,” Nelson said. “I think the biggest thing … was that the porn industry is kind of going down. If you want to see a half-naked man, you’re going to pay for it.”

And the mullet and beard that were trimmed immediately after the fight?

“It was just one of those things,” he said. “I knew for you press people, it was going to be a slow Monday, so I figured I’d give you guys something to talk about.”

How did you lose the weight?

“Secret ninja training,” he said.

And that since-clipped pony tail that had the appeal of a dead squirrel’s tail?

“That was my Steven Seagal ponytail,” he said.

So, Nelson didn’t want to discuss it all seriously?

“No,” he deadpanned.

Read between the lines – which isn’t very difficult – and it’s obvious Nelson is sick of answering the same ol’ questions. Since his days as an IFL champ, Nelson has proven he can hang with just about any heavyweight in the world. But the questions and focus always landed on his weight. How good could Nelson be if he shed the extra pounds? What if he ditched his well-known fast-food habit? What if he actually fought at light heavyweight, a division that seems possible with the right diet?

Who cares, Nelson wonders. Why not focus on his actual fighting skills? Why not mention the other tools he’s added to his arsenal, which were on display at UFC 137?

“I’m the same Roy Nelson – just trying to be more active, trying to be a more complete martial artist by adding takedowns with the kicks,” he said. “I’m still 100 percent in the UFC with kicks. But it’s just one of those things – trying to be a complete martial artist and keep on adding to the repertoire and more tools to the belt.

“I’ve been doing kung fu and martial arts all my life. I was just trying to change it up a little bit – just being a complete martial artist. You saw a lot of striking, a lot of groundwork today. I’m just trying to add more to the repertoire so that whoever I fight next gets to see two different looks.”

The win over Filipovic came after back-to-back defeats to Junior Dos Santos and Frank Mir. Those losses wiped out the progress he made with a TUF 10 Finale victory over Brendan Schaub and a knockout of Stefan Struve.

But Nelson isn’t looking behind him. He’s looking ahead. Despite the losses – and despite all that talk about his weight – he always gave it his all in those performance. And he said that’s all he can ask of himself. So why be the one shining the spotlight on anything else?

“The one thing as a fighter, if you start dwelling on the past, that’s what usually fans or press always dwell on,” he said. “It’s like the press. If they write two bad articles, they should worry about getting fired, too. But for the most part as a fighter, all you can do is go out there and fight. If you give 110 percent, you can always leave with your head held high. The thing is I always leave everything out there, and that’s what I always do.”

As the UFC 189 tour made its last stop in Dublin, featherweight champ Jose Aldo was met with a torrent of abuse from the Irish fans. It might have been unpleasant, but it might also have been just what he needed.